Model maker&#39;s clamp having removable jaws



Nov. 14, 1950 e. B. LEAR 2,530,203

MODEL MAKER'S CLAMP HAVING REMOVABLE JAWS Filed Sept. 23, 1947 l3 INVENTOR. George B. Lear 1 Q J W 7 Attorney Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT caries 1 MODEL MAKERS CIiAMP -HAVING QREMOVABLE JAWS V ".George'BCLear, shreveportgla.

Application september 23, 1947, SeriaI No. 775,663

:3 Claims. (Cl. .144300) I I I My invention relates to tools and moreparticu- .larly to amo'del ma'ker s clamp. vThexibject ofsmyzinvention is:to:.provide;a:new and :improved shand clamp aim the use ..of:model makers, builders f .llffitdiO. sets, zandzothersperforming .work including;theihandlingv and holding ofdight: small parts rfonthezpunposenf assembling them by gluinggsoldering ior'xthe like,:;orif.or.-the purpose ;of:.machining them ;or laying-:off.

. Another object :ofzmyzinvention. iszto providers. clamp: of. the eharacterrindicated. above; having. a body :formed 10f :two halves, each .half ;.being adapted ..to :recei-ve.and .hold interchangeably a variety of clamping :jaws.

Aifurther :object.of;.my;inventiorr is to: provides-a clamp of the character indicated above,the;ha1v.es ofz-whicharemadein theshape ofstaanpings from resilient sheet metal.

Other objects --of; my .invention.:not specifically mentioned may appear in the following specification describing my invention withrreference to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention.

It is however tobe'understood, .that my invention is not to bezlimited;or restricted*to' the exact construction and combinationzof parts described in the specification and shownin the drawing but that such :changes andmodifications .can'be made which fall within the scope of the claims zappended hereto.

In the several figures .of .the drawing similar parts areindicated by-similar index characters and aliigurelisan elevationalzside view of :the hand clamp: according Ito mysinvention.

Figure 2.is a, plan-view,;.partly:inrsection, of the hand clamp shown .in; Figure..1;.ai.bo1t; head-.andaa clamping nutbeing omitted. .Figure 3 issa-perspective detail viewcofiaiswivel block used in the hand .clamp according ltosmy invention.

Figure 411s aperspective detail view of another swiveliblock .used .in the hand clampi'accoriding toimy invention.

Figure 5;is ;a perspective .detail view .of one :of a -variety;of .clampingijaws .adapteditoi be .usedzin connection with the hand clamp according :to my invention, and

. Figure 6 is a perspective detail view :of .one of the two halves of :the body .of .the hand clamp.

accordingto my invention;and

Figure 7 is a'top'plan view..of'ablank,\from which the rhalves of r the .clampLbody are :.formed. .Figure 8 .is adetail section .showinga slight modification wherein a difierent :formof .zcontrol spring is employed.

The hand clamp formingthe.subjectmatteniof my. invention'zcomprises .a body arconsisting, of two.:similarly constructed halves I'U. :Eachrhalf iszmadesf-romablank oflresilientsheet:metal -I has shown in Figure .7. .ZJI-his blank has -a;substani-: tially. rectangular-shape. :A.'centrally.located slot I2 extends from'one-of; the; ends o'frthablanlc over approximately two thirds of theentire length of the blank land on the; othersend theJongitudinal edges ofither-blank are off -.s,et:in-Wardly, the'length of the: offsetbeing approximately oneithird ofithe length of .ithe blank. LEwo :short slots I3 extend inwardlysfrom thezend' of the :blank-.;o ,pposite.the one where the slot l2 enters and form two tongues -l 4:.forxa; purpose-to beidescribed. later.

At each .side .of the slot 1:2; and adjacent to the innercend: ofsaid; slot a; hole 1 [:5 is zprovidedain the; blank, and .adj acentzto :each longitudinal-edge of thezblanlnand: at; a; shortidistance: from the send of .theeblank, Wherethe slot -[Zentersgaiholeilfi is arranged. These LfOllI holes areof thesamesize.

:At each -side of :therslot :12, .two holes ill-care arranged adjacen-tito the endredge oftherblank wherettheeslot l2 enters. Thesepholes may be smallerzthan I the. otherifour. .holes in; the blank =I I but2are :Shmvn otaapproximately the 5samer 'size.-

Two other holes l8 are pr0vided.;in'ithe blank portion between. thessinnerzend of--the;.slot [:2 and the .inner :endsof the :slots 13 -.and :arezlocated approximately: one guarter :of :the .width :of the blank from "the longitudinal ledges thereof 5 and adjacent :to 1 theinner enda-of :the zcentralislot .12.

Theforwardmortion of .thexzblank l'l :iszhent into I U -shape as shown in :Figure 6 so :that "the rear end .of the half :body H3 formed in this manner 'consistsnfatwo platesal iii-extending ,parallel :to' each otherlfrom the front portion eof-zsaid half body and these; plateseare ofiesetzoutwa'rdly from the correspondingly forwardbodyport-ions.

Ihe twolha'lves 1.0:;forming theibody a;are-:arranged :relative P' tO reach other soithat the ropen edges of lthe;-:forward;portions:of the halvesrface.

each other.

..Azswivellblockefllrhavingza:substantiallycylindrical .body..2 l Iis .LIJI'OVlCLGd zon :oppo'site'cends JWi-iih coaxial reduced journal parts 22. the body/2 liiSESllCh ithatsit Ifits5between thertwo parallel iplates -19. These .iplates .zare resilient A rod 24 has one of its ends extendingithrou'gd and fixed in a cylindrical body 25 which fits be- The lengthi'of' tween the two resilient plates 13 of the other half I6 of the body a. Pins 26 extend from opposite ends of the body and through the holes IS in the second half I0 of the body a so that this body and the attached rod are pivotally mounted.

The fre end of the rod 24 extends slidably through the hole 23 in the swivel block 26 and approximately two thirds of the length of the rod 24 is threaded, as shown at 2'! in Figure 1. A knurled nut 28 engaging the rod 24 threadedly urges the two halves IU of the body a against each other.

Between the two halves Ill is a coil spring 36 having the two end portions 29 which extend forwardly from said spring and the foremost portions 3| and 32 thereof are curved, to respectively engage the swivel block body 2| and the cylindrical body 26 when the coil spring 36 is positioned inside the body a between the two halves III as shown. The spring urges the two halves of the body away from each other.

.- 'In the holes [6 of the body half l6 supporting swivel block 20, journals 33 of a swivel block 33 are rotatably mounted. In the swivel block body 33 a central threaded hole 35 is provided extending at right angles to the axis of the journals 33'.

A third swivel block 36 is adjacent to the second swivel block 33 and has two journals 39 thereon extending in opposite directions to each other and rotatably arranged in the holes l6 of the other half ID of the body. This swivel block 36 is provided with a central smooth socket 38 extending at right angles to the axis of the journals 39.

A screw 40 having a knurled head 4| is adapted to be screwed into and through the hole 35 in the second swivel block 33. The end of the screw 46 is reduced in diameter at its inner end at 4| to enter the socket 38 in the third swivel block 36 so that the shoulder 42 on top of the reduced end portion 4| bottoms on the swivel block 36.

, Rivets 43 extend through and are riveted into the holes I! in the plates [9 and a spacer block 44 is secured by the rivets between said plates.

Rivets 46 extend through and are secured in the holes H3 in the front portion of each half [0 of the body a. V

In this manner the body a-of the hand clamp according to my invention is constructed and each half ll) of the body a is adapted to receive and hold removably a clamping jaw b.

The clamping jaw b may be made selectively in several different forms of which only one is shown in the drawing illustrating the portion which are common to all forms and modifications.

The jaw b is made from sheet steel and has an elongated body 46of such thickness that it fits slidingly into the U-shaped front portion of the halves H) of the body a.

0n the rear end of the jaw body 46 a rearwardly projecting finger or lug 41 is formed at the edge of the jaw body sliding along the back of the closed U-shaped portion of the clamp body a. The lug 4'! slides between said back and the adjacent pin or rivet and engages the latter.

A pin 48 is secured in and projects outwardly from the jaw body 46, and is arranged thereon, so that its slides into and engages the short slot l3 when the jaw b is placed into working position in the clamp body a.

The tongues 14 of said clamp body are bent or curved inwardly so that they will clampingly engage the jaw body 46 when the same is arranged between them.

0n the forward portion of the jaw body 46 an inwardly projecting clamping surface 49 is formed extending parallel to the back of the U-shaped closed portion of the clamp body. The back of the jaw body 46 is cut away to an amount equal to the thickness of the clamp body back to form a shoulder 50 on the back of the jaw body so that the outer edge of this shoulder is located approximately in the same plane with the outer edge of the back of the clamp body.

The above description shows clearly how any clamping jaw b having the described portions may be easily, securely and exchangeably attached to the clamp body a, and how the two halves ill of the body a. will be opened parallel to each other, when the screw 40 is used to move the rear ends of the two body halves l0 away from each other and the nut 28 is loosened on the screw 2'! to permit the coil spring 30 to swing its forward portions of the clamp body halves outwardly.

In urging the rear ends of the clamp body (2. toward each other the journals 33 and 39 serve as fulcra for the movement of the two halves ID of the clamp body a, and in urging the forward ends of the clamp body halves toward each, these halves pivot about the journal 22 and 26 of the swivelblocks 20 and 26 respectively.

In Figure 8 there is illustrated a slight modification of the spring means employed for separating the jaws. In this construction, the rod 24 extends through a coil spring 29, the ends of which spring bear upon the swivel block 20 and the body 25. As will be readily apparent the function of this spring 29' is the same as that of the spring 29.

Having described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A hand clamp including the combination of a clamp body consisting of two similarly formed halves and two clamping jaws removably and exchangeably attached to the halves of the clamp body, each half of the clamp body'being made from a resilient sheet metal blank bent into U- shape, having a comparatively long, inwardly extending, central slot at one of'its ends and two inwardly curved tongues formed by two comparatively short slots extending into theblank from the other end thereof, said tongues engag-' ing the clamping jaw and said short slots receiving a pin extending through said clamping jaw.

2. A hand clamp including the combination of a clamp body consisting of two similarly formed halves and two clamping jaws removably and exchangeably attached to the halves of theclamp body, each half of the clamp bodybeing made from a resilient sheet metal blank bent into U-shape, having a comparatively long, inwardly extending, central slot at one of itsends and two inwardly curved tongues formed by two comparatively short slots extending into the blankfrom the other end thereof, said tongues engaging the clamping jaw and said short slots receiving a pin extending through said clamping "jaw, a lug formed on and extending rearwardly from each clamping jaw, a pin extendingv through and secured in the forward portion of each half of the clamp body, said lug engaging the pin.

3. A hand clamp including. the combination of a clamp body consisting of twosimilarly formedhalves and two clamping. jaws removably and exchangeably attached to the halves of the clamp body, each half of the clamp body being made from'a resilient sheet metalblank bent into U- shape, having a comparatively long, inwardly extending, central slot at one of its ends and two in- REFERENCES CITED wardly curved tongues formed by two comparatively short slots extendin into the blank from g g gi i ffi are of record m the the other end thereof, said tongues engaging the clamping jaw and said short slots receiving a pin 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS extending through said clamping jaw, the rear Number Na D t portion of each half of the clamp body consisting 753,4 5 Weidinger Man 1, 1904 of two plates being formed by the rear portions of 93,331 Adams July 21, 1903 the blank divided from each other by the com- 1,5 1,359 scmeicher 10, 1925 paratively long slot, a spacer block located be- 10 1,309,7 Wetzler June 9, 1931 tween and adjacent to the rear ends of each pair of plates and a rivet extending through the plates FOREIGN PATENTS and the spacer block and secured to the plates. Number Country Date 381,268 Great Britain Oct. 6, 1932 GEORGE B. LEAR. 15 

